Bottle carrier



Sept. 25, 1962 M. T. Russo 3,055,543

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed May 27, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I lB l9 /l I z i a f H: '5

' FFS E INVENTOR. a} MICHAEL T. Russo sywmenm ATTORNEYS Sept. 25, 1962 r. usso 3,055,543

BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1960 a4 a4 51 Y 7 37 INVENTOR. BY MICHAEL T. Russo m Gum -ATTORNEY S Sept. 25, 1962 M. T. RUSSO 3,055,543

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed May 27, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV EN TOR.

MICHAEL T. RUSSO Guam ATTORNEYS United States Patent Filed May 27, 1960, Ser- No. 32,323 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-116) This invention relates to a bottle carrier and more particularly to a carrier for supporting and transporting a number of conventional carbonated beverage bottles.

Bottled carbonated drinks are commonly sold, in stores and supermarkets, in packages of six. The packages are usually in the form of carriers made of cardboard which can be folded for shipping and storage and which are assembled for inserting the bottles therein. They are normally reused, after a customer returns the empty bottles, but since they deteriorate quite rapidly their reuse is limited. They can be easily torn, are destroyed by water, and they get dirty and cannot be cleaned. Also, since the bottling company or distributor generally buys these cardboard carriers in a folded condition from the factory that makes them, they must unfold and assemble them, before inserting the bottles, which is time consuming and expensive.

. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a reusalble bottle carrier, which is rigid, light weight, is made of plastic which can be easily cleaned and which will not be destroyed by water, nor aifected by dirt, and which is distributed in a completely assembled form so that no labor is required for assembling the containers or carriers before inserting the bottles.

Another object of this invention is to provide bottle carriers formed of plastic which are so formed that they can be nested together in large quantities, when empty, and when nested, will take no more room for storage and shipment than will comparable folded cardboard carriers. Yet a further object is to form such a bottle carrier which can be reused over and over again and wherein various elements thereof can be individually replaced in the event of breakage so that the carrier need not be thrown way if only one part becomes damaged or broken in use.

Still a further object is to form such a carrier with a handle which can easily be removed and replaced and which telescopes out of the way, so that the carriers may be easily stacked, and which is available for use simply by pulling the handle upwardly.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

In these drawings: FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the bottle carrier.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the carrier.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one receptacle and a fragment of the horizontal sheet taken as if in the direction of arrows 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, with a portion of a bottle shown in dotted lines, and taken in the direction of arrows 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a receptacle, taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the horizontal sheet, per se.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrows 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation showing four carriers stacked together.

FIG. 10 shows a modification, in perspective.

The bottle carrier, generally designated as 10, is formed of thin, rigid, plastic material. Ihe particular plastic 3,055,543 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 ice material selected should have suflicient rigidity to meet the structure and functions described below, but otherwise is not critical.

The carrier is formed of a horizontal sheet 11, which is generally rectangular in shape and which has a continuous, integral, peripheral edge flange or skirt 12. The change or skirt depend-s from the sheet but is arranged at an angle relative to the vertical so that it slopes downwardly and away from the sheet.

The sheet is provided with a number of closely spaced, identical holes 13, such as six in number (see FIG. 6). These holes are of a sufficient size to freely fit a predetermined size bottle through.

Each hole is provided with a coaxially arranged receptacle 15 which is cup-like in shape (see FIGS. 3 and 4) with an open top end having an annular outwardly extending edge flange 16 which rests upon the edge defining the specific hole to support the cup.

The cup has a closed bottom 17 and a wall which preferably is in the form of webs 18 which are spaced apart to provide openings or windows 19. The webs 18 are tapered downwardly so that the bottom of the 'receptacle is smaller than the top opening of the receptacle.

'Each receptacle is fitted into its own opening in the top sheet and is held from passing through the hole by the annular flange 16. Also, each receptacle is locked to the sheet by a suitable locking means which normally rigidly holds. the receptacle to the sheet but which can be released so that the receptacle may be removed and replaced in the event that it is damaged. Such locking means may be in the form of bulges or bumps 22 formed on the receptacle near the top thereof (see FIG. 3) and which are arranged to pass through slots 23 formed in the sheet adjacent the hole so that the bulges or bumps after passing through the slots may be locked frictionally underneath the bottom surface of the horizontal sheet simply by twisting the receptacle. Thus, the annular flange 16 and the bulges 22 frictionally lock the sheet between them.

Other looking or fastening means may also be substituted for that mentioned above, it being desired only that each receptacle be rigidly secured to the sheet but be removable therefrom and replaceable in the event that it is damaged or broken.

When the receptacles are locked in place, their adjacent webs face each other so that the two bottles in each adjacent pair of receptacles are separated by two webs, thus insulating them against breakage.

The bottom 17 of each receptacle is provided with a socket 25 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The sockets are each of a size to receive a part of a top of a bottle 20. As shown in FIG. 4, wherein the top of a conventional carbonated drink bottle 20 is illustrated, the top has a conventional cap thereon and the cap fits into the socket 25.

The function of the socket is to hold the carriers one on top of another when they are loaded with bottles so that they may be stacked and stay in stacked position. Thus, the bottom of each receptacle, by looking with the top of the bottles beneath it, is prevented from sliding.

The carrier is provided with a handle means 30 (see FIGS. 8, 9 and 10) in the form of an inverted U-shape having a base grasping or handle portion 31 and downwardly extending legs 32. The legs normally extend away from the grasping portion 31 at an angle greater than degrees so that the two legs diverge from each other with respect to their integral connection with the grasping portion 31. The handle 30 is so made that its legs are resiliently bendable toward and away from each other. These legs are each inserted through slots 33 formed in the sheet 11 (see FIG. 8). The slots are alined end to end, are spaced apart, and are each provided with an enlarged portion 34 at their facing ends. Likewise, the bottom ends of each of the legs 32 is provided with an enlargement 35 of a size to fit through the enlargement 34 of the slots 33 and then to slide beneath the slot 33 and thus engage the bottom face of the sheet 11 for supporting the sheet upon the handle. The slots, at the bottom face of the sheet, are surrounded by reinforcing ribs 36 having notches 37 formed therein to receive the enlargements 35 of the legs so that the legs stay in place.

As can be seen in FIG. 9, the handle is assembled to the sheet by bending the legs toward each other and inserting the enlarged portion 35 through the enlarged part 34 of the slot 33 and then permitting the legs to spring apart.

The handle may be pushed downwardly toward the sheet and its legs will slide or telescope through the slot 33 so that the grasping portion 31 can be placed in direct face to face contact with the top of the sheet 11 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9.

The carrier is so made that it is completely rigid and need not be assembled for use but instead are sold in usable condition. However, in order to store the carriers and to ship them, they may be stacked one upon another as shown in FIG. 11. The skirt portions 12 are so made that one fits within the other and the individual receptacles, which are free of connection to each other, are likewise tapered so that they interfit for thus nesting a column of these carriers one within the other. Thus, a large number of carriers can be shipped and supported and stored in a space which is equivalent to that which would otherwise be used by the cardboard type of carriers which are folded flat.

In use, the carriers would be sold in a bundle or group which are stacked together and may then be pulled apart one at a time as bottles are put in. The handles may be pulled out by the user for lifting the carriers or otherwise may be pushed downwardly to be out of the way.

Because of this construction, advertisements such as brand names or trademarks or the like can be imprinted upon the skirt portion which thus functions not only to rigidify the unit but also as a means for carrying advertising indicia. Also, the device may be easily cleaned and reused since the walls of the receptacles are open and thus do not accumulate excesses of dirt and may be easily washed to remove dust or grime. Likewise, in the event of damage to any one or more of the receptacles, the damaged one can be pulled off and replaced so that the carrier may be used over again.

FIG. shows a modification wherein the receptacles or cups 50 are formed integral with the sheet 51, and also the handle 52 is likewise formed integral with the sheet. The sheet is provided with a slot 53 which receives the handles of the next lower carriers, when the carriers are stacked together for shipping and storage.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following attached claims. Accordingly, it

4- is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a strictly limiting sense.

I now claim:

1. A bottle carrier for carrying a predetermined number of a single size and type of bottle, comprising a rectangular shaped, thin, flat, horizontal, rigid sheet having a plurality of circular openings formed therein, the openings being of a size to loosely receive a bottle; a vertically axised, circular in horizontal cross-section, open top cup-like receptacle secured to and depending beneath the sheet at each opening in the sheet, the receptacles all being identical to one another and with each of the receptacles being axially aligned with its respective opening, the receptacles each having a base located a considerable distance beneath the flat sheet, and each receptacle being of a size to receive the bottom end of a bottle and support it upon said base, the receptacles being free of connection with respect to each other and their side walls being slightly tapered from their open tops towards their bases so that their bases are smaller than their open tops, wherein a number of said carriers, when empty of bottles, may be nested one within the other with the receptacles of one receiving the receptacles of a carrier next above it; and each of said receptacles being secured to the sheet by a releasable locking means, wherein each receptacle may be individually removed and replaced in the event it is damaged.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 and wherein each of said releasable locking means comprises an integral peripheral, horizontally extending flange formed on the top edge of each receptacle for resting against the top surface of the sheet and supporting the receptacles therefrom, and a locking formation formed on the outside surface on each of the receptacle walls and spaced below said flanges a short distance and arranged to lock against the bottom surface of the sheet, and said locking formation being releasable for removing any of the receptacles individually.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2 and wherein the bottom of each of the receptacles is formed with a downwardly opening socket of a size to receive a top of a bottle wherein the carriers, when filled with bottles, may be stacked one upon the other and the top of each of the bottles in one carrier will fit into the socket of the carrier next above it.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

